Has anyone done ftp testing with a cold? I am just finishing up a rest week in which I conveniently/not conveniently had a cold (stuffed nose, headaches, light cough and COVID negative). I was in recovery week between between the first and second block of HV sustained power build and was scheduled to FTP test yesterday.
I completed all of my light rides this week and am feeling pretty fresh but I haven’t pushed it since last Sunday (3/4). I am feeling mostly better but have some lingering symptoms mostly in my nose. My concern is in delaying the second block too long.
I figure I have 3 options; test today, delay the test until I am 100% better or just start my next block at my old FTP. If I delay what would the delay look like from a fitness point of view? Continued rides at IF of .68? The extra wrinkle is I do 20 min power not the ramp test because in my experience the ramp test under reports my FTP by a sizable margin. If I were just doing a ramp I would go for it because the expenditure isn’t as much but I am interested in different opionions. Thanks!
Your FTP is unlikely to have dropped. I would be more concerned about getting myself back to 100% than I would jumping into an FTP test.
My approach would be to test FTP later this week. Do a light workout today or tomorrow (.65IF) and see how you feel, then see how the last hard (or something equivalent) session you did prior to being sick feels. If you nail it, then I’d say you’re ready to do an FTP test after a buffer day.
Make sense?
Edit to add:
I was sick the week before last for a full 5 days with two days of residual fatigue/illness. I took Monday off and tried Pettit on Tuesday and noticed my heart-rate was around 10 bpm higher than normal. I took Wednesday off and then tried Pettit again on Thursday, felt ok. Friday was easy ride with my kids followed by an attempt at a 2.5 hour ride on Saturday. I bailed after 1.5 hours.
I took Sunday off and then did a threshold workout on Monday (which was my first “hard” workout/ride in a full 7 days) with no adjustments to FTP or target wattage. Heart rate was elevated and it was difficult to put out power, but I hit my targets, nevertheless. I backed this up with another workout (Sweet Spot) on Tuesday, and that was much better. Heart rate was normal and I was easily hitting targets. So, it took 9 days to get back to “normal.”
I’d agree with that- generally I’ll do ‘regular’ workouts when my symptoms are on the way out, but avoid any testing or maximal efforts until I’m back to normal. I’m almost inclined to suggest just continuing on with the next block sans FTP test and just adjust as necessary- it usually takes me a few days to readjust especially if it’s been more than a couple of days since my last hard workout, so it might help you build back into things. Ultimately I think it’s a judgement call though!